"Formidable...provokes us to contemplate the ways in which residents of North America have dealt with diversity." -The New York Times Book Review "A superb overview of colonial America." -Christian Science Monitor "Compelling, readable, and fresh, American Colonies is perhaps the most brilliant piece of synthesis in recent American historical writing." —Phillip J. Deloria, Carroll Smith-Rosenberg Collegiate Professor of American Culture and History at the University of Michigan “Even the serious student of history will find a great deal of previously obscure information. The book offers a balanced understanding of the diverse peoples and forces that converged on this continent and influenced the course of American history.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Crammed full of fascinating material uncovered by historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists in the past half-century.” —Newsday